For Aylan

There is a crisis happening in our world.  It's been going on for awhile and sadly . . . shamefully . . . until today I was able to ignore it.  I didn't ignore it completely, I saw glimpses of articles and felt sad, felt angry, maybe said a prayer.  For a moment.  And then I moved on and the sweeping business of life wiped the thoughts from my head as I bought school supplies and browsed Costco.

We have that luxury here.  The ability to live in a bubble of privilege and abundance and not notice, not be aware of the atrocities happening elsewhere.  I say that not as a reprimand, but as a confession.

Today, however, today I saw for the first time a picture of a tiny 3 year old boy washed up on the shores of Turkey and I was disturbed.   And we should be.   His name is Aylan and he drowned fleeing Syria.  The number of people displaced in Syria is estimated to be around 11 million, half of which are children. People are dying. By the hundreds, thousands.  It is being called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.  I saw that picture of Aylan, one little boy representative of so many others and I couldn't click past it with a sigh and a prayer.  Because although I absolutely believe in a God who hears and answers prayer, and think that is a necessary response, I also believe He wants to use us, to use me to move and make a difference.

Here is the thing.  I don't know what to do.  I don't know what my response should be.  I don't have millions or political influence.  I'm not sure how to help.  But I do know that Aylan...the three year old little boy...it could have been Kyler or Carson, and instead of fleeing for our lives we are signing up for boy scouts and soccer and just picked up pizza for dinner.  Because we were born here and he was born there.

There are people across the world suffering and dying and I can not sit silent.  I don't know what to do but I know the answer is not: nothing.  The answer is not to click past and forget.  The picture of sweet Aylan is disturbing and it's time to be disturbed.  To be moved.  Moved to action.

Ann Voskamp does a fabulous job giving some ideas on her blog.  I recommend you click that link and read through what she has to say...

I am going to spend time tonight reading and researching more and deciding how our family can help.  Because we cannot save them all and we can't help Aylan now.  But we also can not do nothing.